Spies 'R' Us

Industrial espionage?

Does this remind you of films?

I have been asked to keep a tight eye on the korean guy visiting our firm for some months. As things have been less smooth between our companies lately, my bosses don't trust him... And I soon found they were right!

He has his own laptop computer, which he usually carries around, and is allowed to use one of our regular PCs for printing, or email checking, etc. A few days ago I was left on my own with this guy, and my boss told me to keep watching what he did.

He was on my colleague's PC for a long while, and I helped him looking for a hotel for his French visit to come -told you about this visit before. Then, he was on the phone -in Korean, I'm affraid I can't understand!- and went to the back of our office. He was supposed to check his company's monitors, and those of other companies that we are selling, so that he could see and evaluate the differences. I asumed he was doing so, as I passed once to check and he was there, but when my boss came back, he asked me if I'd been checking and when I went towards the room with all the medical equipment... he wasn't there, but in my boss' office, using his personal laptop!!!

Needless to say I had a summon, and was really shocked and amazed at realizing from now on I'll have to watch every step... pretending to be helping him!

There's been a couple of other dodgy moves from him, but we can not find a reason to break our agreement with his company yet- and also, I have been made to photocopy the whole stack of visiting cards this guy was treasuring and left once while he went for a cup of coffee with his French visit, to see who he was intending to contact. My boss and my colleague actually went to the same coffee bar that he was, to have a chat and make sure he didn't walk in while I was doing this!

I know he was also writing reports on our company, but this is partly o.k., as we had agreed him to come and study and expand his company's presence in Europe, being us one of their main distributors.

Today I was on my own, as I said, most of the day. This guy turned up just before I would usually go for lunch, and he had already eaten. He has no keys to the office, and we once lent him them, but got them back immediately and reckon he hasn't made copies 'coz he thought he would have a set given to him. I waited until 3:20 p.m., and finally told my Val. boss I had to go for lunch. i made it quick, but... i hadn't checked the state of my boss' laptop before going, as I'd left the door closed and it seemed locked. But I left the guy with the cleaning lady, so I thought he would not be likely to use the computer again.

Half an hour after I got back, he left -short day at work!? and the cleaning lady was still here. I've just been to check, and the computer was on the password screen, unopen. Had he tried again? I don't know.